Method for increasing communication efficiency in a multiport facsimile

Abstract

A method for transmitting message of a document in a multiport facsimile, in which the messages to be transmitted are registered in a memory unit in file unit together with a specific message-registration table; and all the registered messages having the same destination are re-registered in a specific transmission-result table for subsequent transmission to the destination in one dial-up.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for increasing communication efficiency in a multiport facsimile having a memory and line interface units for controlling communication channels and enabling transmission of messages stored in said memory, said method comprising: registering messages of a plurality of documents in a plurality of files, said plurality of files being organized in a message-registration table allocated in said memory;   re-registering the registered messages from said plurality of files having the same destination in a transmission-result table allocated in said memory by: checking for a number of line interface units for enabling transmission of messages via communication lines, and initializing an index counter allocated in said memory for counting index of each file within said message-registration table after registration of said messages in said plurality of files;   searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of each file within said message-registration table indicated by said index counter for each increment of said index counter until the incremented value of said index counter reaches a maximum index value; and   re-registering messages to be transmitted to the same destination from the index of said message-registration table onto said transmission-result table; and     transmitting the re-registered messages having the same destination from said transmission-result table to said same destination in a single dial.   
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said message-registration table comprises an index number and a message-registration number, multiple destination-numbers and file-numbers. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmission-result table comprises a relative-number, an index number, and a file-number. 
     
     
       4. A method for increasing communication efficiency in a multiport facsimile having a plurality of line interface units for controlling a plurality of communication channels and transmitting messages after storing in a memory messages of a plurality of documents, said method comprising the steps of: checking for a number of line interface units, and initializing an index counter allocated in said memory and indicative of an index of a message-registration table registered along with the messages;   searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by the index counter;   incrementing the index counter by one, and comparing the incremented value of said index counter with a maximum-index value if there are no messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by said index counter, and if the incremented value and maximum-index value are the same, terminating the processing steps, and if the incremented value and the maximum-index value are not the same, returning to the step of searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by said index counter;   loading a relative-number and a file-number from said message-registration table, saving the relative-number and the file number in a transmission-result table allocated in said memory, assigning the value of said index counter to a variable K, and increasing said variable K by one if there are messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by said index counter;   searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by the variable K;   increasing the variable K by one, and comparing the increased index counter value to the maximum-index value if there are no messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by said index counter, and returning to the step of searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by the variable K if the compared values are not the same;   searching for a matching relative-number of a transmission-result table within said message-registration table if there are messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table indicated by said index counter;   registering the file-number in a transmission-file-number of the transmission-result table if there is a matching relative-number from said transmission-result table, and then returning to the step of increasing the variable K by one and comparing the increased index counter value with the maximum-index value;   directly returning to said step of increasing the variable K by one and comparing the increased index counter value with the maximum-index value if there is no matching relative-number rom said transmission-result table; and   decreasing a line interface unit counter allocated in said memory by one for making a determination of whether the decreased value of said line interface unit counter is zero, returning to the step of searching for messages to be transmitted from the index of said message-registration table if the decreased value is not zero, and terminating the processing steps if the decreased value is zero.   
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of checking for a number of line interface units comprises: checking whether an line interface unit is transmissible;   if said line interface unit is transmissible, increasing the line interface unit counter by one;   comparing the value of said line interface unit counter to a total number of line interface units; and   if the compared values are not the same, returning to the step of checking whether the line interface unit is transmissible.   
     
     
       6. A process for transmitting files in a multiport device, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of files in a plurality of message-registration tables, each representing a different file and a set of destination for each of said files;   registering a plurality of files into one or more transmission-result tables, each of said transmission-result tables representing a different destination of a plurality of destinations and a corresponding set of one or more files to be sent to said destination, said plurality of files being registered by the steps of: indexing the first of said plurality of message-registration tables;   indexing the first of the set of destinations represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   creating a transmission-result table comprising the currently indexed destination and the files represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   registering into said transmission-result table the files corresponding to the ones of said plurality of message-registration tables comprising said currently indexed destination;   indexing the next of the set of destinations represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   returning to the step of creating said transmission-result table if the currently indexed destination is not registered in said transmission-result table, and other wise returning to the step of indexing the next of the set of destinations; and   indexing the next of said plurality of message-registration tables and returning to the step of indexing the first of the set of destinations until all of said plurality of message-registration tables have been indexed; and     transmitting said one or more files according to said transmission-result tables, with all files being indicated by a corresponding one of said transmission-result tables being transmitted to the corresponding destination during a single transmission.   
     
     
       7. The process of claim 6, wherein said message-registration tables and said transmission-result tables are allocated in said memory. 
     
     
       8. The process of claim 6, further comprised of determining the number of line interface units available for transmission of said plurality of files. 
     
     
       9. The process of claim 8, further comprised of terminating said step of registering said plurality of files when the number of transmission-result tables equals the number of line interface units. 
     
     
       10. The device for transmitting files in a multiport device, comprising: memory means for storing and retrieving a plurality of files, a plurality of message-registration tables and one or more transmission-result tables;   means for enabling registration of said plurality of files onto said message-registration tables and said transmission-result tables by; indexing the first of said plurality of message-registration tables;   indexing the first of the set of destinations represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   creating a transmission-result table comprising the currently indexed destination and the files represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   registering into said transmission-result table the files corresponding to the first of said plurality of message-registration tables comprising said currently indexed destination;   indexing the next of the set of destinations represented by the currently indexed message-registration table;   returning to the step of creating said transmission-result table if the currently indexed destination is not registered in said transmission-result table, and otherwise returning to the step of indexing the next of the set of destinations; and   indexing the next of said plurality of message-registration tables and returning to the step of indexing the first of the set of destinations until all of said plurality of message-registration tables have been indexed; and     control means for generating transmission-result tables based on said plurality of message-registration tables and for controlling the transmission of said plurality of files according to said transmission-result tables; and   line interface means for transmitting said plurality of files under control of said control means.   
     
     
       11. The device of claim 10, wherein said line interface means comprises a plurality of line interface units each controlling transmission of each of said plurality of files through a different one of a plurality of communication lines.